Arthouse & Prestige
Curated distributors focused on festival-caliber, critically driven, and internationally recognized cinema. Offer awards positioning, limited theatrical campaigns, and access to academic and institutional markets that commercial distributors don't serve.
Kino Lorber
One of the most respected arthouse distributors in the U.S. Kino Lorber handles theatrical releases, home video, digital, and educational distribution. Highly selective — they focus on films with critical credibility and festival recognition. Their back catalog includes major international and art cinema titles. Filmmakers working with Kino get access to their educational arm and long-tail library placement.
Cinema Guild
Cinema Guild has over 50 years of experience in arthouse and world cinema distribution. They handle theatrical releases, home video (Blu-ray/DVD), and digital rights. Their catalog is critically acclaimed — they work with filmmakers whose work aligns with the Criterion Collection aesthetic. Limited theatrical campaigns with genuine press attention and awards positioning.
Cohen Media Group
Cohen Media Group focuses on prestige foreign films and classic restorations. They have a particularly strong relationship with French cinema, managing French rights for a substantial number of key titles. Theatrical, digital, home video, and streaming rights are all handled under their umbrella. A boutique operation known for quality over volume.
First Run Features
Founded in 1979, First Run Features is one of the longest-standing independent distributors in the U.S. They handle theatrical, home video, and digital distribution with a focus on documentaries, arthouse narratives, and LGBTQ+ content. Personalized service, honest reporting, and a filmmaker-friendly reputation. Their catalog spans decades of important independent cinema.
Blue Fox Entertainment
Blue Fox Entertainment handles both U.S. theatrical/digital distribution and international sales for quality independent films. A boutique operation that takes on projects with strong critical positioning, festival performance, or notable cast. They coordinate domestic and international strategy, making them valuable for films targeting both U.S. and global markets with prestige positioning.
GoDigital / Amplify
GoDigital (working under the Amplify brand) specializes in bringing festival and critically driven films to digital platforms with a focused, data-driven release strategy. They pitch to premium arthouse VOD outlets alongside major digital storefronts. More digital-focused than theatrical, but with credibility in the arthouse/prestige space. Useful for films that need wide VOD reach without traditional theatrical overhead.
Canyon Cinema
Canyon Cinema is a San Francisco–based filmmaker cooperative and the premier distributor of experimental, avant-garde, and artist-made films in the U.S. They maintain a rental and educational catalog, place films with universities and museums, and serve the film studies and media art communities. Not a commercial distributor — but essential for filmmakers working in expanded cinema, essay film, or structural filmmaking.